REVIEW: The Why Store, Two Beasts (Way Cool Music)
- Emma Green
Swiftly overstepping the perilous canyon of one-hit wonderdom, roots-rockers The Why Store announce their arrival with a fifth album, only the Indiana group's second major label release. Where the self-titled Way Cool Music debut was disjointed and tended to drift off into digressive jam sessions, Two Beasts showcases a wonderfully coherent collection of songs as the group shuffles a little closer than usual to the line of mainstream alternative modern rock. While "Lack of Water" became a bona fide radio hit in 1996, alternative and modern rock radio station never really embraced the band with so much potential.
Front man Chris Schaffer commands an unforgettable presence through a deep, throaty voice, occasionally recalling a chain-smoking Jakob Dylan. As the singer pens most of the songs himself, his sound advocates melody as expressive, both vocally and instrumentally. If one common factor bonds the album, Schaffer's tunes are infectiously hummable and full of memorable hooks and lines.
Working class roots-rock to the core, Two Beasts opens with a tribute to hard work ("Working") and serious guitar driven rock grooves on "No Matter," where Schaffer blatantly thumbs his nose at skeptical critics. Title song "Two Beasts" defines the essence of the band, exploring the inherently schizoid thoughts we all experience from time to time through beautiful arpeggiated acoustic work.
While the band has established itself though energetic live shows, building a fanatical grassroots following of so-called "Whomheads" through the 1990s, it struggled to find a pulse in the sometimes unsympathetic music press before inking a record deal in 1996. Rumored to be flirting with late night television host (and fellow Hoosier) David Letterman more than once, the group fought an uphill battle for attention, mainly relying on word of mouth to build a fan base.
Following in the tradition of live experience bands like Blues Traveler and Widespread Panic, The Why Store is surprisingly adept at multiple playing styles, which may ultimately benefit them through cross-genre radio appeal. After announcing the frat party festivities of "When You're High" and "Everything" (both released on previous independent albums), Schaffer proves capable of churning over the heartfelt ballad on "Who Is Your Love," a fairly corny love song, and "She's Broken," which softly layers some unexpected country guitar influences on a set of Jeff Pederson's jangly keyboards.
More subdued than the previous self-titled release, Two Beasts almost seems a retrospective of the entire Why Store ouvre. The deliberate inclusion of a few older tried-and-true tracks introduces some interesting stylistic comparisons in Schaffer's evolving songwriting talents. On the closing "When You're High," in case the listener wasn't paying attention, Schaffer brashly interjects the rock star persona into the music as he ostentatiously proclaims, "The Why Store's got what it takes to get everybody high." This comes after the lyrics invoke images of gallavanting naked through the woods and feeling grass poke up between one's toes. While it might be floating on a little more than pure optomism, The Why Store is a solid band with a refreshing dedication to their art and vocation, as is evident on this latest effort.
